We're Outlaws, Not Wetnurses
by I am The Lev
Summary: Morgan promises a dying woman that she will watch over and protect the contents of a basket. In retrospect, she probably should've checked the basket first. Cowritten with RixxiSpooks. WillDjaq, AllanMorgan.
1. Little Girls

Cowritten with RixxiSpooks

---

Morgan sniffed the flower in her hand, enjoying the light fragrance that wafted from it. The gang had been moving furiously for the past week, committing heist after heist. Every time they fled back into the woods, they had passed by a small patch of flowers. Of course, the soldiers weren't about to stop chasing them just so Morgan could pick some flowers, so she came back on her own time. It had been a relatively quiet morning, especially considering the excursions earlier in the week. Morgan heard the sound of someone running, and turned to see a panicked looking woman. The woman spotted her and immediately sought her out, sobbing heavily as she glanced around. She was carrying a large basket in her arms, collapsing, Morgan assumed, under its weight as she neared the young outlaw.

"Please," the woman pleaded, out of breath. "Please, watch over and protect." The woman's thick accent drew attention to the fact that she was a Saracen, which Morgan had overlooked before in her consternation. The woman placed the basket at Morgan's feet, lying out on the ground as soon as the task had been completed. Morgan knelt by the Saracen woman, holding her up.

"Hey, hang in there!" Morgan muttered. "I know a doctor. She can help you!" The Saracen woman shook her head, weakly pointing at the basket.

"Watch over and protect," she gasped again. "Promise." Morgan nodded quickly.

"I promise. Now, please, hang in there," she repeated. The woman took a few more shuddering breaths, and then her eyes grew dim. Morgan sat for a moment, completely dumbfounded. She'd never had anyone die in her arms before. Morgan lowered the woman's body to the ground, whispering a rushed prayer and crossing herself.

She didn't know how to handle the situation. Was she supposed to bury the body? She didn't know any of the Saracen customs concerning funerals. Sure, she and Djaq were best friends, but it wasn't like death and funerals came up in regular conversation. As she contemplated this, the galloping of horses filled the air. Panicking, Morgan's gaze fell to the basket, which she quickly scooped into her arms. She may have been unsure about burying the woman, but she was sure about one thing: she'd made a promise to "watch over and protect" whatever was in the basket.

She briefly considered scrambling up the nearest tree, but the basket was a bit too cumbersome. Instead, she ran off the road, making sure that she was far off enough that she couldn't be heard or seen. She set the basket down as gently as she could. She'd noticed that the Saracen woman had been extremely careful when handling the basket, only allowing herself to really collapse when she had placed it safely on the ground. Whatever it was, it was probably delicate. Just as Morgan got the thought out, she heard a gurgling sound from inside the basket.

"Delicate and alive," Morgan amended out loud. She glanced around to make sure that no one was looking, slowly removing the woven lid from the whicker basket. She stared, completely thunderstruck. Large, shining blue eyes stared back at her. Those eyes were set in the middle of a chubby, little face, adorned with a crown of soft, brown curls.

Morgan quickly shut the basket again, shaking her head, trying to convince herself that she hadn't just become the caretaker of a baby… boy? Girl? Either way, it didn't matter; what mattered was that she had no clue how to take care of it. From inside the basket, the baby started to whimper, working its way up to a proper cry. Morgan removed the top of the basket.

"Now, now, tiny baby, you need to be quiet," she reasoned. "Don't cry, tiny baby. Hush." The baby stared at Morgan for a few minutes before bursting into tears.

"Ah. That's not very quiet, tiny baby," Morgan pointed out, regretting her decision to stop and smell the flowers. She racked her brain, trying to think of the things that people had told her about babies, which honestly wasn't much. Allan had once told her that you were supposed to turn babies upside down to make them quiet, but Morgan wasn't sure that it was sound advice. Deciding that this was beyond her skill, Morgan replaced the top of the basket. What she needed was a mother. Someone in touch with their maternal instincts. Someone nurturing.

---

"Much!" Morgan called, entering the camp. "Much! I need you!"

"Thank you, Morgan. It's good to know that one is appreciated every once and a while," Much said pointedly, shooting Robin a look. Robin grinned.

"Do I really have to say it?" he asked. Much rolled his eyes. Morgan shook her head.

"Much, I need you now!" she corrected, and Much noticed that she was carrying quite the large basket.

"Is that for dinner?" he asked.

"No!" she answered quickly. "I was going to stop and smell the flowers, you know, that small patch of daisies that we always pass, but we can never stop and smell them because we're running from the Sheriff's men."

"Those aren't daisies, Morgan. They're pansies," Much interrupted.

"It's the same thing," Morgan offered, trying to continue.

"It's hardly the same thing. Daisies are kind of like this," Much noted, drawing in the air with his finger. "And pansies are more like this." He made another drawing in the air. Morgan looked at Robin, making sure she wasn't the only one who didn't notice a difference in the hand motions.

"Sure, okay, that's not really the point," Morgan nodded, trying to appease Much. "The point is: I was stopping and smelling the flowers, when this Saracen woman ran up to me and collapsed!"

"Djaq's collapsed?" Robin asked, prompting Little John to stand, ready to go help her. Morgan shot Robin a frustrated look.

"No! If Djaq had collapsed, I would've said, 'Djaq ran up to me and collapsed!' and I wouldn't very well start the story with the bit about the flowers," she said quickly. "_Anyway_, this Saracen woman, who was _not_ Djaq, ran up to me and collapsed. And she made me promise to 'watch over and protect' this basket. Well, I couldn't say no to her, and I was going to run and get Djaq, but she died."

"Djaq died?" Robin asked.

"That's news to me," Djaq said from the entrance of the camp, stepping around Morgan as she and Will returned from the hunt, carrying a deer between them. Morgan nodded her head at Djaq.

"Obviously, Djaq did not die. The Saracen woman, who ran up to me and was not Djaq, died," she explained. "And I would've taken care of her, only I didn't know what to do, and the horses were coming, so I took the basket and ran. I would've looked inside first, but there were the horses, and I had made a promise, so I rabbitted off into the woods."

"You left that poor woman's body just lying there?" Much asked, slightly horrified. Morgan wished that Marian was there to tell the story. They never interrupted Marian like this.

"I already said that there were horses coming. Look, the point is, I took the basket. And then I opened it, and well…" Morgan trailed off, setting the basket carefully on the ground and removing the lid. "Tada?" The gang crowded around the basket, trying to see what all the fuss was about.

"What a cute baby," Much noted, grinning as the baby blinked up at him with her large, blue eyes. No one disagreed, but Robin cleared his throat.

"Morgan, what exactly were you planning on doing with this baby?" he asked, grinning down at the child. Morgan mumbled a response under her breath. The Prince of Thieves fixed her with a look, knowing that she was being difficult on purpose. "Beg pardon?"

"Well, I did make a promise to watch over and protect," Morgan reminded. "I was thinking that maybe she could stay here for a while." Robin stared at her as if she'd sprouted an extra head.

"Really?" he asked. "And how long would that while be?" Morgan smiled sweetly, preparing to be innocent and endearing.

"Until we can find her family?" she suggested. "Please?"

"Master, it's not as though we're all inexperienced. We took care of Seth," Much reminded, cuddling with the baby, smiling affectionately.

"I can make a crib for it," Will volunteered.

"I can mix up some herbs that will keep her healthy," Djaq offered. Robin glanced over at Little John, who was also smiling at the child. The Prince of Thieves smirked, and Much knew that he wanted to keep the baby just as much as everyone else did.

"Alright, fine," he consented with a wide grin.

"What's her name?" Little John asked. Morgan squinted down at the child.

"How do you know it's a her?" she asked. Little John gave her a swat to the back of the head.

"It's obvious. Now, what's her name?" he repeated. Morgan rubbed the back of her head, shrugging.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I've been calling it 'tiny baby,'" she muttered.

"Regan," Much nodded, picking the girl out of the basket, gently cradling her. "She looks like a Regan."

"No, I think she's a Mary," Robin argued, tickling at the girl's stomach, eliciting a cute, little giggle.

"We could call her Jane," Will suggested, smiling at the child.

"Hold on, it's my responsibility, I should name it," Morgan pointed out. "We could call it Oliver."

"Morgan, she's not an it. She's a baby girl," Much corrected. "Besides, Oliver is a boy's name."

"Olivia, then." Morgan muttered, earning another swat to the head from Little John.

"Ailith," the woodsman said. The gang exchanged glances, considering the name. The child giggled and clapped her small hands together, causing everyone in the group to coo in unison.

"Ailith," Robin grinned. "Good call, Little John."

"She's so cute," Djaq commented. Much nodded.

"I can't believe you were intimidated, Morgan. She's only a little baby. She can't do any harm."

---

"Ow! Please, let go, tiny Ailith," Morgan pleaded as the little girl giggled, tugging firmly on Morgan's hair. Morgan tried to pry her little fingers from her raven locks. Having been removed from Morgan's hair, Ailith's fingers wrapped around Morgan's index finger.

"There you go. Much better, tiny Ailith," Morgan smiled, at least until Ailith put the blacksmith's finger in her mouth and bit down. "Ow! Much! Can you please take it?"

"Morgan, she's not an it!" Much corrected, scooping Ailith into his arms, patting her on the back. "There, there, Ailith." The girl wriggled in Much's arm, pointing with her hand, opening and closing her fingers. Much followed the point over to Robin, who was restringing his bow.

"Robin, I think she wants you," Much said, handing the giggling little girl over to Robin.

"Of course she does. It's my natural charm," Robin grinned, sitting Ailith in his lap. Ailith patted the recurved bow that was lying in front of her, gurgling in unintelligible baby talk.

"That, Ailith, is a bow," Robin said in his best teacher voice. "A bow."

"Ababa!" Ailith grinned, pulling the bow closer to her before biting down on the soft wood. Robin laughed, gently removing his weapon from the toddler's mouth. Ailith didn't sit well with his actions, tears welling up in her eyes as she blinked up at Robin, sniffling.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Robin apologized quickly, returning the bow to her grip. She contented herself to gnaw on the smooth weapon, offering an angelic smile to Robin, who smirked.

"Putty in her hands," Djaq smiled, nodding at Robin. Morgan grinned appreciatively at the observation. It wasn't just Robin. All the men had been drawn in by Ailith's big, blue eyes and sweet, little laugh. Such were the charms of a baby girl. Djaq suspected that the boys wouldn't be so charmed when Ailith's nappy needed changing, but she didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the surprise for them.

---

"I am sorry, Ailith, but that was revolting," Much commented, sitting by the river as he finished changing the toddler's underwrappings, pinning the clean cloth into place. He turned to the river to clean out the old cloth, singing under his breath. Ailith let out a high-pitched giggle, clapping her hands.

"At least some one enjoys my singing," Much muttered, resuming his song. Ailith rolled onto her stomach, pushing herself into a standing position. She took a few, experimental steps, looking over at Much to see if he was going to stop her. He seemed to be occupied. Ailith was pleased with her sneakiness and continued to walk off, disappearing into the woods.

"There we are! All clean," Much noted, turning back around. "Ailith?" He stood, scanning the surrounding area for the child.

"Oh, dear," he murmured under his breath.

---

Yay for babies! This is going to be a fun story, I do believe. RixxiSpooks will be writing the next chapter, and it is going t be so full of cute that it will rot your teeth.

Surprise! Morgan's baby-caring skills are terrible! Or, not surprise. Whichever.

Hope you all enjoy! Please review!


	2. Big Boys

The tiny child stood in awe inspired silence, taking in the scene before her with huge, curious eyes. She was enraptured by the boisterous rough and tumble of the two boys playing in the clearing. They seemed impossibly energetic and agile compared to her only recently acquired ability to stumble along on her unsteady feet. Their thin limbs splaying out as they pushed one another over, one jumped on the other and held a wooden sword to his throat with the cry 'Surrender, evil Sheriff or you die!' The trapped boy struggled to shove the other off with the declaration that he would never be defeated by an outlaw, and so the miniature battle continued, its one person audience remaining unseen.

She was thoroughly tempted to go up to them and seek attention. Having left that strange big camp quite awhile ago, she was beginning to feel quite lonely and was craving human interaction and attention. These two big boys seemed to be the perfect answer to these problems.

Cautiously, the girl shuffled forward, her balance on her feet still ungainly and clumsy, causing her entrance to be less than stealthy. Both boys looked up as they heard a small grunt of annoyance, just in time to see a very young looking child sprawled on the floor, her face a picture of frustration. They frowned in bewilderment. What on earth was a toddler doing in Sherwood Forest on its own?

One of them untangled himself from the other and padded warily towards the fallen toddler. She was sitting, legs crumpled beneath her, an unreadable expression on her face. She watched him as he approached, full of quiet apprehension. Up close he seemed an awful lot bigger than he had been when she'd seen him from a distance.

Carefully, he crouched down beside her, his face pleasantly neutral so as not to scare the girl. He had no idea where she was from but he knew that she shouldn't be wandering around on her own and he formed the idea in his head that he would be the one to help her get back to wherever she was from.

"Hello, little one," he smiled kindly, his dark hair flopping into his eyes. The younger child stared up at him blankly. He guessed she didn't really understand much language yet. She was too small to have a proper grip on dialect he realised now. The boy guessed her age to be around one maybe slightly younger.

"Dan, what is it?" the other boy had joined him so silently he had barely registered his arrival.

"What d'you mean, 'what is it'? Isn't it obvious it's a toddler?"

"Yeah, but I mean, is it a girl or a boy?"

"She's a she," Daniel replied to his friend.

"How'd you know?"

"I just do, Mark, ok?"

"What's her name?" Mark persisted with his rather pointless questioning.

"I don't know. She doesn't speak. She's too young. But, Mark, what are we going to do with her? I mean, it's obvious she's lost, there are no adults about," Daniel commented, gesturing round at the empty expanse of forest. He was correct; it seemed unlikely that the girl's parents would be in the forest considering no one usually dared enter the trees for fear of repercussions from outlaws that lurked in the shadows. Not Robin Hood's gang, unless they were rich they had no reason to fear him, but other groups of unsavoury characters.

Daniel and Mark however held no fear of Sherwood for they had met Robin and his men in person and felt that now that they had the tags that signified them as one of the gang they should no longer be scared of anything.

"Play," the child suddenly piped up, finding her voice.

"Play?" Daniel repeated sceptically, he didn't think now was really the best time to play but considering the girl had actually spoken surprised him.

"Play," the toddler said again, climbing unsteadily to her feet and grabbing onto Daniel's arm with one hand. As the boy looked down at her fierce grip on the material of his jerkin he marvelled at how minuscule her fingers were. They were so little yet so perfectly formed with fingernails and everything. As he was distracted the girl grew impatient and swiftly bashed him on the side of the head with the other hand and suddenly her tiny limbs weren't so sweet after all.

"Ow! What did you do that for?" he yelped, scowling at the toddler who seemed either oblivious or just ignored him for she had tottered off towards where the two boys had discarded their wooden swords.

"I think, at a wild guess, that she wants to play," Mark stated sarcastically earning a withering look from his friend.

"You know, she hits hard for someone so small," the boy commented as the two of them made their way over to where the child was proceeding to place the end of Daniel's weapon in her mouth. A glop of saliva made its way down the wood much to his distaste, "Hey, no, Titch, don't do that!"

"Titch?" Mark asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, she needs a name doesn't she?"

---

"I cannot believe it! I cannot believe you lost her!" Morgan stated for the umpteenth time, throwing her arms in the air in disbelief to emphasise her incredulity at Much's stupidity, "You lost a baby in a forest!"

"Yes, I am aware of that fact, Morgan, and I'm sorry, all right?" Much replied, feeling terribly guilty as he looked down at his feet, anywhere but the pacing girl before him.

The rest of the gang were onlookers, watching the situation unfold with some amusement despite the seriousness of the cause. It was quite a surprise to them to see the docile, happy-go-lucky Morgan with the constantly cheery persona so worked up.

"I made a promise. I can't believe it. I made a promise, Much, to protect that child and now you've gone and lost it!"

"She's not an it, and if it's any conciliation she has clean undergarments on," the former manservant mumbled, depressed.

"Well, that's great, she'd rabbitted off and all you can say is 'oh, its fine, she has a clean nappy on'!" Morgan announced. Although she was angry on the surface she could feel the fury slowly dissipating, she'd reached her peak and was now calming down.

"You two, you know, maybe we should actually go and look for Ailith rather than arguing. I mean, she's a baby that can barely walk. She can't have gone far," Will pointed out logically, shedding some reality on the situation.

"I suppose," Morgan nodded and turned away from a very relieved looking Much. Suddenly though she whipped around, sternly pointed a finger in his face, and said, "Don't think you're out of the woods yet, Much, mark my words, if that little kid isn't found safe and sound I'm holding you responsible." The girl sounded so sincere that Much knew she was being deadly serious, and he didn't like to think of what the outcome of that threat could be.

---

Ailith was having the time of her life. She was fed up with constantly being bunged in baskets and wrapped unbelievably tight in uncomfortable swaddling. She was free now and she was enjoying herself. These two boys made great companions, and she loved gauging any reaction she could from them. She had learnt that the best way to do this was to either drool on their weapons or to cry. The toddler loved the expression of absolute horror that entered her new friends' faces as she creased up her face in preparation for a full on bawl. It was a great way to get what she wanted.

"Titch, what do you say to coming into the village with us?" Daniel asked, knowing he would either get silence or some intelligible reply of random syllables merged together.

"Billag," Ailith smiled toothily and blinked her long eyelashes in obvious puzzlement.

"I'll take that as a yes. I wonder what mother would say, though, to bringing you back."

"Rather you than me, Dan," Mark grinned, "I don't think Mother could cope with another babe in our household what with Celeste being ill and all."

"Hmm, how do I explain it though?" Daniel pondered for a moment, "Ah, well, only one way to find out. To my house!"

"House!" Ailith repeated excitedly.

---

Allan sighed, leaning against one of the many pillars that lined the corridors of Nottingham Castle. He was bored. Guy was busy with some meeting with the Sheriff to which he had not been invited so there was no one to irritate in the vicinity. He supposed that he could just go annoy one of his fellow guards or a maid but that wasn't half as much fun as repeatedly engaging a reaction from Gisborne by naming him Giz. Allan had to admit the glee he got out of making the man cringe every time he said it and the praise he received from the Sheriff.

If he was being honest, something that Allan knew he rarely was, the ex-outlaw had to say that although the Sheriff was impossibly evil and everything he did was completely immoral and inhuman, the man was one funny guy. The fact he cared so little for human life made him callous and crude to everyone he met, addressing them with odd nicknames or double edged quips that could so easily be turned into innuendos.

The man remembered one particular memorable occasion when the Sheriff had greeted some important visitor as 'Furry Caterpillar Moustache' something that had had Allan in fits of giggles for a long time afterwards. The expression of utmost sincerity plastered onto Vaisey's face had been a complete contrast to the reaction of astonished shock that had been written all over his guest's. Fortunately, the guest could say nothing more on the matter for the Sheriff was of much higher power than him by a long shot.

It still made Allan laugh now, standing there in the deserted corridor. He was about to reminisce about another one of the Sheriff's humorous episodes including a huge black berry pie and a rather obnoxious, irksome visitor who, in Vaisey's own words 'Had been asking for it', when Guy of Gisborne marched down the corridor, his face thunderstruck.

"All right, Giz?" Allan jumped to attention, realising that he had been lounging on the job even if there was no work to do. He did not want to get on Gisborne's wrong side when he was in this kind of mood.

"Allan, I want you to send out soldiers to all the villages immediately," Guy ordered as soon as he spotted his right hand man.

"Er…why, Giz?" the former outlaw asked, curiously.

"Because the Sheriff has commanded us to look for something."

"What?"

"Early this afternoon we received a message from Prince John," Gisborne began, looking slightly impatient. Allan's interest was definitely peeked now. "In this message he told us that his brother had offspring."

"Wait, what?!" Allan held up a hand looking dumbfounded, "King Rich has a kid? Doesn't that mean that Johnno loses his place in line for the throne?"

"Yes, Allan, that is exactly the point. This child has been rumoured to have been brought to England for safe keeping by a Saracen woman. This morning she was spotted by one of our scouts near Nottingham. It seems the woman has now disappeared and we need to find her and that child. Prince John has put it to us to dispose of it before it can cause any damage to his plight to become King."

"But, er…how on earth are we supposed to find the kid, Nottingham is quite a big place if you hadn't noticed. Plus, you keep calling it it. Do you actually know if it's a boy or a girl or even what it looks like?"

"No, but we know that it is below the age of two because it was born in the Holy Lands and the King has not been out there long," Guy answered hastily, wanting to get going, growing increasingly frustrated at the former outlaws pestering.

"So, you're telling me that we have to go out there, find some kid _below _the age of two, with indeterminate gender, that could be in any one of the villages of Nottingham and _then _we have to kill it? Blimey, you're not asking much are you, Giz?"

"No, now move, Allan!"

---

This chapter was written by the fantastic RixxiSpooks! She's so fab at writing for little children, totally better than I am.

I love the bits with Mark and Daniel. So cute! The poor baby's going to be so confused, what with all the nicknames she's picking up.

Anyway, on behalf of Rixxi and myself, hope that you all enjoyed. Please review!


	3. Natural Dad

Daniel led the little girl along, making sure that she didn't trip up as they walked. He kept talking to her, despite the fact that she wasn't precisely taking an active role in the conversation.

"I live in Knighton," he explained, "where Lady Marian used to live. But Guy of Gisborne, he's a bad man, burnt her house down. She's at the castle now." Ailith mumbled in reply, tugging at Daniel's hand, trying to gnaw on his fingers. When he didn't allow her to, she began to fuss.

"Come on, Titch. Don't do that," he sighed, handing her his sword. She contended herself with chewing on it instead, not really listening as Daniel continued his explanation of his home.

"I've got some older brothers, Isaiah and Jeremiah. I'm the youngest. I know that it may sound like a lot, but Mark has more than that!" He glanced down, to see if the toddler had any reply, but she was still working on the toy sword. "He's got Matthew, him, Luke, John, Celeste, and Avis. His mum is always tired. Obviously, it's better that I bring you home. I've just got to think of what I'm going to tell my mum."

"Mum," Ailith repeated, giggling and smiling. Daniel grinned.

"Yeah, Titch. My mum. That's her, carrying the bucket of water," he pointed as they stepped into the village. Ailith tilted her head to the side, frowning. She had a vague concept of what "mum" meant, and she was fairly sure that the woman wasn't her mum. She looked up at Daniel, tugging on his hand again.

"It's alright, Titch. She's nice; I promise," he reassured, pulling her along, meeting his mother at the door to their small cottage.

"Mum, I'm home!" His mother glanced over at the sound of his announcement, setting down the bucket of water. The smile that played on her face fell almost instantly as she took in the small child that peered curiously from behind Daniel's legs.

"Daniel, what is that?" she asked, not sure that she wanted to hear the answer.

"A toddler?" Daniel answered, trying to break it to her gently. The sharp look she gave him caused him to abandon the idea and launch himself into a full explanation. "Mark and I were playing in the woods."

"Daniel!" his mother interrupted. "What have I told you about playing in the woods? It's dangerous!"

"But, mum!" Daniel protested. "It's safe for me! I'm in Robin Hood's gang! Anyway, we were playing, and this little girl wandered up to us. So, I took her home with me." He flashed a hopeful smile.

"Daniel," his mother sighed, kneeling to get a better look at the child.

"I couldn't just leave her," he grumbled, glancing down at Ailith. "Isn't that right, Titch?" Ailith removed the toy sword from her mouth long enough to babble in baby talk. Daniel's mother sighed, exasperated, scooping the girl into her arms.

"I suppose that it'll be a reprieve, after bringing up you and your brothers," she conceded, gingerly stroking Ailith's forehead, moving the curls of brown hair from her eyes.

"Come inside, then. Let's get her cleaned up."

---

Morgan kept glancing over at him, her hands shoved in her pockets, her head bowed. He still seemed depressed, and that made her feel worse. What had she been thinking, yelling at him like that? Of course, she'd done it because she had panicked, but it still didn't excuse her outburst. She cleared her throat, catching his attention.

"Sorry, Much," she apologized sincerely. "When I yelled at you earlier, I was just worried, that's all." A smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, Much clapped Morgan on the shoulder.

"It's alright, Morgan," he accepted. "You were just doing what any mother would do." He kept walking when Morgan stopped in her tracks, staring after him.

"Me? A mother?" she asked, sure that she hadn't heard correctly. He grinned and kept walking, just as Robin often did to him, his grin spreading as he heard her following. "Not being funny, Much, but I don't know the first thing about caring after babies."

"Well, you better learn, because Allan was complete rubbish when we were watching Seth," Much warned. "Assuming that the two of you want children. Do you?" He glanced over his shoulder, tying to gauge her response. Morgan shrugged.

"We've never really talked about it. A bit early for all of that," she muttered. "We're not even married yet."

"Yet," a voice said, and Allan ducked out from behind a tree. Morgan's features brightened immediately, and she ran past Much, throwing herself into Allan's arms. He laughed, spinning her around before letting her feet touch the ground again, kissing her on the forehead. Morgan glanced back at Much, who was trying not to look, trying to allow them some privacy.

"I'll just be a minute," Morgan excused, taking Allan by the hand and pulling him behind a tree. "I can't talk for too long, Allan." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering at her cheek.

"Neither can I. What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"I've misplaced something. Well, Much misplaced it, but it wasn't really his fault," she quickly corrected, putting her hand on his. "And you?"

"Guy's got me running around looking for someone. It's stupid, really. I can think of better ways to spend my time," he muttered, pushing his lips to hers, trailing kisses down her neck. She giggled and put her fingers on his lips, gently pushing him back.

"Anyway, the whole gang's out looking, and I've really got to get back to Much," she emphasized, not allowing herself to be distracted. Allan frowned at the statement, which Morgan noticed. She smirked. "What's wrong? Jealous?"

"What? Of Much?" Allan asked, scoffing. Morgan swatted him in the arm, giving him a critical look. "Oy, don't look at me like that. That's not what I meant. Much is a good bloke, but he's not your type." Morgan crossed her arms over her chest.

"Really? He's nice. He's handsome. He's funny. What makes you sure that he isn't me type?" she asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

"He isn't me," Allan answered cheekily, kissing her once more. "Go on. I'll lead the guards away from here. Doubt that I'll find who I'm looking for here, anyway."

Despite their initial resolve to part ways, they stayed a moment longer, exchanging a quick kiss. Allan jogged off to make sure that he led the soldiers very far away from Morgan and Much and their quest to find whatever it was she had lost. Morgan slipped away from the tree, returning to Much, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry, Much," she apologized. "Let's get back to finding Ailith." They continued through the trees, watching for any sign that Ailith might have passed through.

"Morgan?" Much suddenly asked, a smug smile on his lips.

"Yeah?" Morgan asked, distracted by her search.

"Do you really think I'm handsome?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Morgan smiled, nodding.

"I think you're quite the modern gentleman, Much," she complimented honestly.

"So, I _am_ your type?" he asked, jokingly draping an arm around her shoulder. She laughed, gently removing his arm.

"Don't push your luck."

---

"We're near Knighton," Robin observed. He had always been aware of Will's quiet nature, but he never noticed the extent of it. Usually, when the group had to spilt into pairs, Robin went with Much, Will went with Djaq, and Little John went with Morgan.

To shake things up, and because Morgan had specially requested to go with Much, Robin divided them alphabetically, leaving him with Will. Robin smiled to himself. If he hadn't known that Morgan was head over heels for Allan, he would've suspected her and Much. They flirted all the time, though Robin suspected that they didn't realize it.

"Robin, do you reckon that she's alright?" Will asked.

"Yeah," Robin replied confidently. "I'm sure she's fine. Like you said, she can't have gotten that far." Will nodded in response, watching the ground for any sign of Ailith.

"Robin, isn't that Mark?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, suddenly darting off of the path, heading to the nearby brook. Robin followed, for once, grinning at Will's observation.

"Mark?" he asked, taking in the blonde boy crouching by the river. The boy turned, and excited smile lighting his face.

"Robin! Will!" he exclaimed, standing and running over to his role models. "What are you up to?"

"Looking for someone," Robin replied. "What about you?" Mark held up a wooden sword, the end of which was covered in bite marks.

"Cleaning off my sword. It was covered in drool," he commented, wrinkling his nose in distaste. Robin's eyes snapped to Will, who grinned hopefully.

"From a baby?" Will asked. Mark nodded.

"Yeah, Daniel and I were playing in the woods, and this little girl wandered out of the trees. Daniel took her home. A bit odd, isn't it? Finding a little girl in the woods?" he asked, unaware of the look of utmost relief on Will and Robin's faces.

"Mark, where does Daniel live? That baby is the responsibility of one of our friends," Will explained quickly. At this admission, Mark turned on heel, heading towards Daniel's without another word.

---

The small contingent of guards that had splintered off from Allan's poorly organized search party reached Knighton just before Mark, Robin, and Will. They were taking advantage of the lack of supervision, loosely exchanging theories as they half-heartedly looked for the child that they had never seen before.

"You reckon that he'll betray Giz?" One of them asked, referring to Allan.

"I reckon that you better not use that nickname near Guy," another replied with a chuckle. "He barely takes it from the Sheriff."

"Of course he'll betray Guy," another guard chimed in. "I mean, I like the guy, but he's hardly working for Guy as it is." The allusion to Allan's numerous daytime naps and blatant negligence in regards to castle security caused the small group to laugh.

"You're keeping quiet, Rent," the first guard noticed, nudging the man behind him. Renton Faulkner shrugged. These men were like him, only working for the Sheriff to put food on the table. Still, he wasn't about to blab that he had helped Allan sneak the outlaws out of the castle not that long ago.

"I suppose that he'll do what he thinks it right," he answered vaguely, adjusting his helmet so that he could see a bit better.

"I suppose," the second guard echoed, stepping to the closest cottage and knocking on the door. An older boy, maybe ten or eleven, pulled the door open, ruffling his brown hair as he took in the sight of guards on his doorstep.

"What do you lot want?" he asked, scratching at the back of his ear. "We've paid all our taxes and all." Renton stepped forward, removing his helmet and bending slightly to look the boy in the eyes.

"We're not here to collect taxes. We just need to know if you've come across a small child recently. Younger than two," he explained kindly.

"Jeremiah, who is it?" a woman asked from inside. The boy looked over his shoulder.

"It's some guards, mum. They're asking about some lost kid," he hollered loudly. A second boy, a bit younger, came to the door, peeking around his older brother.

"We've not lost a kid, but you can have Daniel, if you need to take one," he joked, grinning crookedly. Renton suppressed a grin of his own, recalling how he used to joke with his brothers in a similar fashion.

"Do you mind if we come in and have a look about?" he asked. The two boys exchanged glances, shrugging simultaneously and stepping aside. Renton led the small group into the cramped cottage, holding his helmet in his hands. There was a third boy, cleaning off a toy sword in the corner. There was a woman who must've been the mother, holding a small child, younger than two. Renton felt his heart sink a little. He'd been hoping that their search would be fruitless.

"Are these all your children?" he asked. The woman shook her head, unaware of the consequences of her answer.

"No, the girl isn't." Renton looked back at the other guards that were with him, who looked about as disappointed as he did. If they all pretended that they didn't find the child, they could just be on their way. But, if another group that wasn't as compassionate came by, that'd be all of them on the chopping block.

As if answering a prayer, they heard someone cough politely behind them. They turned, seeing a tall man, who Renton automatically recognized as Will Scarlet. He kept his mouth shut, allowing the outlaw to enter the cottage.

"I'm here to pick up Ailith," he smiled genially, holding out his arms. Taking the hint, the mother handed the child over. Ailith let out a high-pitched squeal as she saw Will, eagerly going to him, hugging him around the neck with her tiny arms. Will smiled, cradling the laughing little bundle. "Thanks for watching her."

"Any time," Daniel smiled from the corner.

"She's yours, then?" one of the guards asked. Will nodded, patting Ailith on the back, trying to ignore the fact that she was biting down on his ear. Renton gave the other guard a smack in the arm.

"Don't be stupid, Tanner. Have you ever seen anyone besides a father hold a baby like that?" he asked, glad that Will Scarlet looked like he was meant to deal with babies.

"I had errands to run. Couldn't take her with me," Will explained. Renton nodded.

"Right, then, boys. I think that we can move on," he muttered, and the soldiers followed him out of the cottage, closing the door behind him. Will let out a breath that he hadn't realized that he'd been holding, silently thanking God for Robin's quick thinking and Renton Faulkner.

"Thanks for taking care of her," he muttered to Daniel's mother, sparing Daniel a smile before turning to leave.

"Wait," Jeremiah suddenly said. "Are you one of Robin Hood's men?" Will didn't answer at first, and his silence seemed to be all of the confirmation the boy needed.

"Do you know Daniel?" Isaiah asked suspiciously.

"Of course," Will replied. "Daniel's part of the gang." Both Jeremiah and Isaiah turned to Daniel, who was smiling smugly.

"Blimey," Isaiah muttered. "He was telling the truth."

"Told you so," Daniel beamed. Will took the moment of silence to slip out of the cottage, returning to Robin and Mark, who were waiting in the trees.

"Robin, can you take her?" Will asked discretely. Ailith had started tugging on his hair. Robin took the girl, who immediately laughed, worming in his grasp as she tried to return to Will.

"Let's get out of here," he muttered, "Thank you, Mark." The boy smiled.

"Anytime, Robin, Will," he nodded. "I've got to get home. My mum will start to worry." Mark entered the village, waving over his shoulder as he went into his own little cottage.

Robin and Will let out heavy sighs, glad to return to the camp.

---

So, that's the end of this chapter. Threw in some adorable Daddy!Will, because it's just so darn cute! I also threw in Renton, because in my head, he's played by Ewan McGregor, and one can never have enough of that. XD

Hope you all enjoy! Please review!


	4. Natural Mum?

Will and Robin made their way relatively slowly through the forest for Ailith had insisted on being allowed to walk on her own, clutching both men's hands as she went. She was skipping happily along, occasionally letting go of one of the adult's hands to point out a bird twittering in the canopy or some pretty flower she wanted to pick. By now she had a handful of multicoloured flowers in her hand ranging from bluebells to pansies. They were drooping slightly in her grip but she didn't seem to mind.

"Flurer," she said, repeatedly trying to get her lips round the name 'flower' that Will had just taught her. It wasn't easy.

"Flow-er," Robin helped, making sure she saw the movement of his mouth, she just frowned at him and then, surprisingly, stuck her tongue out, "Oh, I'm offended, Ailith, I thought you liked me." He tried feigning hurt but failed miserably considering he couldn't stop smiling whenever he looked at the child. She just stared at him for a moment with huge blue eyes, then suddenly, let go of his hand completely and used both of her tiny hands to grab some of Will's fingers tightly.

"Will!" she squeaked, which startled both men.

"Wow, she actually knows your name," Robin commented incredulously.

"Yeah," Will shrugged as if it was no big deal despite his astonishment early, "Its not very difficult though is it."

"I suppose not," the outlaw leader replied just as Ailith let go of the carpenter and reaffirmed her hold on his hand as well. After she had done this, the little girl swung her arms, pulling the men's limbs with hers. When neither adult seemed to understand what she was doing she did it again, a little more forcefully.

"You know, I think she wants us to swing her," the younger man stated as Ailith tugged his arm again.

To answer her unspoken request, Will drew his arm forward slightly and lifted it up thus bringing the toddler with him. She whooped in delight. Once he saw what Will meant, Robin copied the action on his side, and soon the child was flying through the air, giggling in joy.

---

When Morgan and Much heard the strange mixture of high pitched squealing and deep laughter, they looked at each other bewildered. Then they both, in unison, sped forwards, breaking through their bracken in their haste to see the source of the noise.

Once they finally struggled through the undergrowth, the two almost fell into the scene before them. It was a scene neither of them ever expected to see. Both Will and Robin were swinging the little body of Ailith between them who was chuckling hysterically, both with huge grins on their faces, Will even had a big pink pansy in his hair, no doubt courtesy of Ailith, completely oblivious to the interruption.

"Whoah!" Morgan spoke loudly, causing both Robin and Will to jump mid-swing and drop Ailith. Fortunately, Robin had quick enough reactions to dive forward and grab the child before she hit the floor. Once he was the sure the girl was safe on the ground, he turned to Morgan and Much.

"Hello, guys, we were just coming to find you. See, we've found Ailith," he grinned at them as if he had not just been discovered being all sappy with a little girl.

"Yes, I can see that," Much smiled back, watching as Ailith impatiently tugged the gentle carpenter down to her level and rearranged the flower she'd entangled in his dark locks. Will allowed all this to happen without so much as a sound.

"So, yeah, saved her from some guards, well, Will did. She'd somehow managed to find her way to Daniel's house."

"Daniel, as in that boy we allowed to join the gang with his friends?" Much asked.

"Yup," Robin nodded in confirmation.

"What boys? Why don't I know about this?" Morgan frowned, evidently confused.

"Its ok, Morgan, we'll explain later," Will rose from his crouched position, unbending his incredibly long legs and patting the woman on the shoulder.

"In the meantime, I think we'll give you two Ailith and you can take her back to camp whilst Will and I go in search of John and Djaq. All right?"

"Are you sure?" Morgan asked, slightly apprehensively, considering that she and Much didn't seem to have a very good track record when it came to caring for the child.

"You'll be fine. Just don't lose her again," Robin warned as Will scooped up Ailith, ignoring her squeals of protest and handed her to Much.

"It's probably easier if you hold her, so you don't lose her," the carpenter said quietly.

"Easier?!" Much yelped as Ailith began wriggling in his arms and then proceeded to turn in his grip until she was facing him, "Um….hi, small Ailith." Much greeted her to which Ailith replied in a more physical way by waving her hands wildly and bonking the former manservant on the nose. "Ouch!"

"Ouch!" Ailith giggled with joy, hitting Much again, hoping to the duplicate the results.

"Have fun!" Robin yelled as he and Will departed. Much quickly grew tired of being hit around the nose, and Morgan's poorly hidden laughter was nothing but encouragement to Ailith.

"Here, you hold her if you think it's so funny," Much muttered, smirking when the laughter died on Morgan's lips. Much handed Ailith to her, and he wasn't sure that he'd ever seen her look so terrified. "Don't let her know that you're scared. Babies can smell fear."

"Really?" Morgan asked, and Much was glad that there were people in the world more gullible than him. Morgan held Ailith, and the little girl looked the blacksmith up and down, as if sizing her up. There was something familiar about this woman, who looked absolutely frightened to be holding her. Ailith reached up, patting Morgan on the side of her face.

"Mum," she gurgled, sighing contentedly and laying her head on Morgan's chest. Morgan looked at Much, eyes wide.

"Maybe you look like her," Much supplied. Morgan stroked Ailith's head, taking in just how small she was, and how scary it must've been for her to leave her home, and then she wondered just where Ailith's home was and who her family was, and how they could've sent her away.

"Mum," Ailith repeated, snuggling against Morgan, on her way to falling asleep.

"Let's get back to camp," Much whispered, not wanting to disturb Ailith.

---

Allan was fed up with continuing with this seemingly wild goose chase considering there were so many places to look and they didn't even know what the child they were looking for looked like. It was like trying to find something in a haystack when you don't even know what you are looking for.

He sighed, sitting down on the edge of a well in the centre of Clun and looking around him. If Prince John wanted this kid so badly, why didn't he send his own men to look for the blasted thing? Allan could see that his guard was getting restless and incredibly bored with getting no result and he couldn't blame them. Though, although he couldn't do anything about their predicament he knew how he could liven up his.

"Hey, men," he hollered and they all looked up at him, "I propose that you now head to Hasten Village and if you find nought there then head back to the castle."

"Where are you going, Allan?" one of the guards spoke up, curiously.

"Just a little errand for Sir Guy," was his swift, well practiced lie that slipped off the end of his tongue like melted butter, "Now, go."

Once the soldiers had left him, Allan was free to do what he wanted and he knew exactly what he wanted….Morgan. He wanted to see her, and maybe that would make this dull day all the more interesting. The young man set off in the direction of Sherwood Forest.

---

"Aw, who's as cute as pie?" Much made gooey noises at a very bemused Ailith. She was sitting on his loft playing with a carved wooden figure that Will had fashioned for one of the village children but must have been mislaid. He claimed it was very crude, and he hadn't had enough time to make it perfect, but anyone who looked at it could see that it had been crafted by the hands of a very skilled craftsman.

"Much, leave the poor kid alone. You badgering her while she's trying to play is not what she wants. Leave her in some peace," Morgan ordered across the camp before striding over and bodily tugging Much away when she saw he wasn't going to comply.

"Ugaga! Ugaga!" Ailith suddenly yelped, pointing behind the two outlaws who were squabbling.

"Yes, Ailith, ugaga!" Much nodded as if he understood her.

"What I think she meant to say was 'intruder!intruder!' or maybe 'handsome man! handsome man!'" A voice commented, chuckling slightly from behind.

Both Much and Morgan whipped round, not recognising the voice at first, Morgan sweeping Ailith into her arms, so she could protect the child. They both visibly sagged in relief when they spotted Allan making his way cautiously into the camp as if he wasn't sure whether he was meant to be there. Which he wasn't.

He, however, froze completely upon seeing the baby gripped so tightly in Morgan's arms. It took a moment for his brain to register that Morgan could not actually have had a child since the last time he saw her, or at all for that matter, and that this couldn't be hers. It was hard to tell though, had he not known that, for the little toddler had melted comfortably into the woman's grip, clutching at one of her slender fingers with a podgy hand.

"Mum!" Ailith whined, tugging on Morgan's hand.

"It's alright, tiny Ailith," Morgan cooed, bouncing the child in her arms, smiling down at her. She looked so natural, cradling the baby in her arms, and Allan wasn't sure how to take it. There was something beautiful about the way she held the toddler, who seemed to trust her completely. At the same time, it was horrifying. Did this mean that she wanted children? It wasn't that Allan didn't like children, but he certainly didn't know how to care for one, and he was sure that she knew less than he did.

"Allan! You scared me half to death," Morgan stated, unaware of the effect she was having on her husband to be.

"Er…um…" the young man managed to regain the use of his jaw, "Hello, I know I'm not supposed to visit you but….I couldn't resist."

"Good day, Allan?" Much inquired, knowing he was butting in on their conversation but not really caring.

"Er…not really, we were looking for this kid….that kid, in fact, if I'm correct," Allan replied, tearing his eyes away from Morgan's to look at his old friend.

"Why?" both outlaws were curious as to why Allan and his guards were searching for Ailith.

"She's not another product of one of Gisborne's one nights is she?" Much asked.

"No. She is in fact the illegitimate daughter of King Richard," with this statement silence fell on the other two, "I know she's technically not a princess, but if King Richard chooses to marry her mother, which seems quite likely at this moment in time, then she's next in line for the throne. That's why Prince John has sent us to find and kill he,r because he believes she is a threat to his plans, and what he says goes."

"Oh Lord, I nearly lost King Richard's daughter!" Much screeched, thunderstruck. "Does Robin have to find out about that bit?" Allan and Morgan stared at him.

"That's a yes?" Much asked. They continued to stare.

"That's a yes," Much sighed.

"Yes," Ailith mimicked gleefully, clapping her hands.

---

If you don't think that the scene with Will and Robin and Ailith was the cutest thing ever, there is something wrong with you.

Rixxi is amazing with this sort of thing.

We hope that you enjoy! Please review!


	5. A Turn for the Worse

"Will, you're bleeding," Djaq stated matter-of-factly, immediately switching into doctor mode. Will frowned, wondering when he could've possibly been injured. It then occurred to him that Ailith had bitten him in the ear. He grinned sheepishly at Robin, who only smirked in response. As Djaq inspected Will's bleeding ear, Robin turned to Little John.

"We've found Ailith," he announced, "She's back at the camp with Much and Morgan." Little John looked instantly relieved, and Djaq nodded distractedly.

"However," Robin said pointedly, trying to ease them into the possibly bad news. "We think that the Sheriff's men were looking for her."

"Why?" Little John asked, narrowing his eyes. Robin took a deep breath before shrugging.

"I have no idea. Whatever it is, it can't be anything good. We should head back," he planned out loud, nodding to back up his decision. The rest of the gang agreed, walking back towards the camp.

---

Ailith was sitting in the middle of the floor, making contented noises as she played with the carved figurines. Much watched her like a hawk, determined not to let her out of his sight. It wouldn't do to lose the King's daughter twice in one day.

"Mum!" she called in a singsong voice, beckoning with her empty hand. Morgan, who was lying on her stomach next to Ailith, lifted her head from her arms.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"Shing!" Ailith attempted to say. Morgan glanced over at Much, who shrugged. Ailith frowned, wondering why they couldn't understand her. She repeated her self. "Shing!" for emphasis, she waved the figurine in her hand, making similar swishing noises. Morgan narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at the carving in the child's hand. It appeared to be someone holding a sword.

Morgan pushed herself off of the ground, grabbing her sword from her loft, removing the sheath with flourish. Ailith gasped in awe as she took in the sight of the metal catching the sunlight.

"Much, draw your sword," Morgan muttered. Hesitating slightly, Much retrieved his own sword, jumping in surprise as Morgan took a swing at him. He brought his weapon up to block Morgan's, and the sound of steel on steel clanged through the camp.

"Have you gone absolutely mad?" he asked indignantly. Morgan grinned, jerking a thumb at Ailith, who was clapping and giggling like mad. Much raised an eyebrow. He supposed it made sense. When King Richard got bored, he often arranged for small, friendly sparring matches. Maybe Ailith harbored a similar admiration for such activity.

"Fight me," Morgan whispered to Much.

"In the camp? We'll make a mess!" Much protested, but Morgan wasn't asking, taking another swing.

"Afraid I'll beat the pants off of you?" she taunted over Ailith's high-pitched laughter.

"You wish!" Much returned, parrying Morgan's blow, forcing her back a bit. Later, when they looked back on it, it was probably the most theatric fight they'd ever had. Ailith squealed with glee as they chased each other around the camp, practically dancing as they sparred, throwing in unnecessary flourishes and jumps.

"We should do this more often," Much laughed, ignoring just how trashed the camp was getting as he jumped up on the table to avoid getting his legs cut off. Morgan laughed.

"Definitely!" She nodded her head over at Ailith, who was so amused that she was rolling on the ground with laughter. Much swung his sword in a downwards arch, continuing the play fight. Morgan, however, hadn't been expecting it, and she was knocked flat on her back.

"Do you yield?" Much asked in a thunderous voice, putting on a show for Ailith, who was watching, completely taken in by the act. Morgan stifled her laughter, holding her hands up as Much held his sword at her throat.

"I surrender!" she said seriously, though she couldn't help but grin as Ailith applauded their performance. The other voice that interrupted them was not nearly so amused.

"What in the world is going on here?" Robin asked from the entrance to the camp. Much and Morgan looked at each other, taking in just what it must've looked like. They looked back to Robin, and the rest of the gang as they crowded behind him. The camp was an absolute mess, Ailith was laughing so hard that tears poured from her eyes, and Much looked like he was about to kill Morgan.

"We were playing," Morgan offered innocently, pushing Much's sword away from her neck and scrambling to her feet.

"And you left them in charge of watching Ailith?" Djaq asked, trying to hide her smile, pushing past Robin, picking up things as she worked her way towards her bunk.

"Speaking of Ailith," Much mentioned, sheathing his sword. "We've found out why there were guards after her." He paused, making sure that he had everyone's attention before continuing.

"We found out who her father is," he began. If he didn't have their attention before, he definitely had it now. "Her father is…" Suddenly, he couldn't bring himself to say it, to admit that he'd nearly lost a princess.

"King Richard," Morgan chimed in. For a moment, there was silence, and then everyone laughed. Morgan looked over at Much, shrugging. Much sighed and shook his head. _Let them get it out_, he mouthed, knowing from experience that it would be best not to interrupt. Ailith got to her feet, tottering over to Morgan, patting her on the knee.

"Mum!" she said demandingly. Morgan picked the child up, waiting patiently as the laughter died off.

"Allan came by," Morgan started flatly. "Guy sent him to look for the King's daughter, a child of under two years of age."

"Behold," Much said, sweeping his arms to indicate the giggling child. "A child under two years of age." Ailith grabbed onto a lock of Morgan's hair, tugging at it with one hand, pointing with the other.

"Mum!" she said loudly, making sure that Morgan was paying attention to her. She continued to point. "Will!" Will stepped around Robin, holding his arms out. Morgan handed Ailith over, smiling as the girl squeaked with excitement, snuggling into Will's arms.

"If she's King Richard's daughter, what is she doing here?" Robin asked.

"The King probably realized that it wouldn't be safe for her in the Holy Land," Djaq reasoned.

"It's not safe for her here," Little John noted gruffly, leaning against one of the support beams. Ailith grunted in Will's arms, tugging on his sleeve, frowning.

"What is it?" Will asked, pretty sure by the look on her face that she was about to pitch a fit.

"Want!" she grumbled, patting Will's stomach. "Want!"

"Are you hungry?" Will guessed. Ailith recognized the last word, and she smiled, nodding.

"We need to feed her," he muttered, turning to the rest of the gang. "I don't suppose that any of us can do that."

---

"Morgan, I think you're holding it upside down," Will pointed out, taking the chart from her hands and flipping it over. As giving Ailith milk was out of the question, Djaq had drawn out berries that would be okay for her to eat. Morgan, who always went out for berries and knew where to find them, had started to leave the camp. Unfortunately, as soon as Ailith saw Morgan leaving, she kicked up a terrible fuss. At the same time, she refused to leave Will's arms. So it was that Morgan, Will, and Ailith traipsed down the road.

"Oh. So I was," Morgan acknowledged with a grin. She stepped to the side to approach a bush, picking a handful of berries, holding up the chart to make sure that they were acceptable. "Brilliant!"

"Brill!" Ailith cried out.

"Yes, very brill, Ailith. This should be enough for you to eat," Morgan replied. Will kept quiet as he watched Morgan interacting with the little girl. Her perception of the child had totally shifted. She didn't call Ailith "it" anymore, and she had really thrown herself into the "watch over and protect" role. The fact that Ailith had started calling the blacksmith "Mum" hardly surprised Will, though he was disappointed that he'd missed the look on Allan's face. He's gladly pay to see that.

Will was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of horses and shouting. The sound was far closer than he would've liked, and Ailith seemed to sense the way that Will tensed up; she pulled on the front of his shirt.

"Will," she mumbled. Morgan, also hearing the sound of the horses, glanced over at Will.

"Get back to the camp," she hissed. Will stared for a moment.

"I'll not leave you. You'll be caught," he replied sternly.

"Will, don't argue with me. If we both run, then they might follow us back to camp. I'll distract them. You see that Ailith is safe," Morgan said calmly, taking a moment to lightly kiss Ailith on the forehead.

"Mum?" Ailith asked, confused by the sudden display of affection. Morgan held a finger over her mouth, shushing her.

"Shh. It's okay, Ailith. Go with Will," she grinned. Ailith mimicked the gesture, putting a finger over her hand and shushing. Morgan looked up at Will, not saying another word, but turning to face the horsemen.

"You could be killed," Will muttered.

"Highly unlikely," Morgan replied. "Now go!" Realizing that there was no time left to argue, and that Morgan wasn't going to yield, Will darted silently into the trees, holding Ailith close. Ailith began to protest, grunting as she tried to motion to Morgan.

"Mum!" she whined, as if she realized the danger that Morgan had once again entangled herself in. Will shushed the girl, singing to her under his breath.

"Hush, little Ailith, please don't cry.

The Sheriff is coming, and so is Guy.

If they catch us, we're all going to die.

Hush, little Ailith, please don't cry." Will was both impressed and concerned with his somewhat morbid improvisation, but Ailith was at least pacified. He silently picked his way back to the camp, hoping to God that Morgan didn't get herself killed.

---

The first thing that Morgan noticed was the bright yellow on their uniforms, indicating that they were Guy's men.

"You there!" one of the guards called, pointing at Morgan.

"Me, sir?" she asked innocently, turning as if there may have been someone else that the guard was talking to. Unfortunately, during her stint as the castle blacksmith, the guards had all come to know Morgan.

"Don't play stupid, Morgan!" the guard called, drawing his sword. "You're coming with us!" Morgan grinned cheekily, casually leaning against a tree.

"You'll have to catch me first!" she taunted, taking off into the forest, leading the guards away from Will and Ailith.

---

"Where does he plan to send her?" Marian asked, walking down the corridor. "He must know that England isn't safe for her." Allan shrugged, constantly watching to make sure that they weren't discovered.

"I don't know, but I'm sure they'll figure something out," he said reassuringly. Far less reassuring were the shouts that issued from the courtyard. Marian recognized the male voices as the last of Gisborne's men, returning from their search for King Richard's daughter. Allan, however, was focused on the female voice. Allan and Marian made their way to the courtyard, watching Gisborne's men forcefully leading Morgan into the castle. Allan heaved a sigh.

"Honestly, can she not stay out of trouble for five minutes?" he muttered, exasperated. "She's nearly as bad as you are, Marian." Marian rolled her eyes, though she could tell that Allan was a bit worried about this turn of events.

"Do you have a plan?" Marian asked.

"Yes," Allan answered confidently, only to amend his statement a second later. "Well, half of a plan." Marian raised an eyebrow.

"Sort of half of a plan," Allan grudgingly admitted.

---

Sorry that this took so long! I've been juggling stories as of late, and the series finale fried my brain like an egg in the summer.

I think my favorite bit of this chapter was the fight with Much and Morgan. While I was writing it, I kept imagining the scene from "Reign of Fire" when Christian Bale and Gerard Butler act out Star Wars for all of the children. It's probably better that you don't ask.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! Please review!


	6. Sort of Half of a Plan

Will stumbled back into camp, little Ailith clutched protectively in his arms, his eyes darting around in search of the rest of the outlaws. He was met by all four at once, each of them throwing down what they were doing when they saw his wild-eyed expression and the bawling child.

"Want Mum!" Ailith screamed, bunching her hands into miniscule fists and punching Will in the chest. He barely felt the weak blows, but he understood what the baby was feeling. He wanted Morgan back. too. He didn't want her to be at the mercy of the Sheriff and Gisborne and was determined to head back to where he'd left her and see what had happened. First, however, he needed to gather the gang and leave Ailith in the safety of the camp.

"Yes, little one," Will nodded, "We'll get her back."

"Where's Morgan?" Robin asked immediately, his leader instinct kicking in when he saw that one of his comrades was missing.

"We were found by some guards. Morgan went to distract them, so I could get Ailith back to safety. I don't know what happened after that," Will replied, filling them in. "We need to go back and see if she was captured."

"Yes, we do," Robin declared in agreement, "But who's volunteering to stay here and care for Ailith?"

"I will," Much raised a tentative hand, looking slightly dubiously at the toddler who was red in the face and tearstained, "Or maybe….on second thoughts, maybe someone else should." He couldn't cope with upset women, let alone little children who were in distress.

"I volunteer to stay with you Much," Djaq stated, "I may be able to calm her with some herbs, but I am not good with children. That is your job. You don't need us all Robin, do you?"

"No, if you both stay then I know she will be in good hands," the outlaw leader smiled at them and then grabbed his bow off the ground, "Let's go."

"Here," Will carefully extricated Ailith's vice-like grip on his shirt which she had taken to clutching for comfort and warmth. He then handed the squawking babe over to Djaq, his eyes lingering a little longer than necessary on hers, deep brown meeting sparkling blue for several seconds.

"Mum!" Ailith shrieked again, looking up at the new person holding her with confused eyes. This woman was not her adopted mother, and therefore she would continue crying until her mum came back. She remembered the moment when she had been taken from Morgan, and the warm woman had kissed her on the head only to vanish again. She wanted her mum…or at least the man named Will, who smelt of fresh pine wood. He was nice too. But this stranger smelt odd, exotic even; it was a mixture of spice and herbs. "Mum! Will!"

The man called Will had gone though and her 'Mum' was nowhere insight. She was just left with the spice-smelling lady and the man with funny hat. They were not the best replacements the small girl could've hoped for.

Ailith cried out again, desperate for the others to return to her screams, but they didn't and she found herself being bounced and jiggled in a rather uncomfortable fashion in a feeble attempt to quiet her. It actually caused her to feel quite nauseous, and she shut her mouth to avoid shedding the contents of her stomach. She glared instead at the woman who was clutching her awkwardly.

"Ha, Djaq, you were making fun of how Morgan and I looked after Ailith, but you're no better," Much chuckled at the Saracen who scowled back.

"I am no mother, you take her," Djaq pushed the squealing child into the former manservant's hands, "I will make a sedative to calm her."

"Well, thank you very much," Much groaned as the infant was placed with him again. Where did the others get the idea that he was the mothering, caring type? It was ridiculous.

He was brought back to the present by a sharp pain in his hand however, and he yelped, looking down for the source of his hurt. Ailith had bitten him. There were small teeth marks from the very few she actually owned in his skin.

This bite seemed to have vented most of her upset as she wasn't making a racket and was sitting, albeit slightly tearful, calmly. Much, however, was not best pleased.

"No bite." Much shook his head at the toddler who stared innocently up at him with her huge expressive eyes. Her pink lips crinkled in a half smile and she reached out with a grubby hand to touch the man's face as if the tiny gesture would suffice as an apology for previous actions. Unfortunately, she misjudged her movement and ended up poking the former manservant right in the eye. "Ouch! Djaq! Help me; I'm being beaten by a baby." He turned from the little girl and made puppy eyes at the Saracen in a vain attempt to get her assistance.

"I see you have calmed her down. I guess you do not need me then," Djaq grinned.

---

"She's not here," John stated matter-of-factly.

"You don't say," Will muttered, his face dark with guilt because he shouldn't have allowed Morgan to be captured. He knew it wasn't exactly his fault, considering the young woman had given him Ailith and made her choice to be the distraction, but he couldn't help feeling responsible. He also knew that he shouldn't be taking his anger and remorse out on his friends, but Allan's sarcasm seemed to have rubbed off on him. The words came from his mouth before he could stop them. "Sorry, John. I'm just worried."

"It's alright," John muttered, accepting the apology with a nod. "We're all worried." Robin heaved a sigh, leading them towards Nottingham, wincing as Little John asked the inevitable question.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Yes," Robin nodded, but he faltered upon seeing the doubtful look on Will's and Little John's faces. "No, but I'm working on it."

---

"So good of you to grace us with your presence," the Sheriff grinned, laughing as one of the guards gagged the lovely, little blacksmith. As he'd come to expect, she'd entertained him with her usual string of threats. As entertaining as he found it, the Sheriff had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Now, I believe that you know something that I want to know," he started professionally, folding his hands in his lap as he continued. "You and the rest of your little friends always seem to know what's going on in that precious forest, so I'm sure that you met with a Saracen woman. She was carrying something very important."

"Djaq's part of the gang," Morgan managed around the gag, acting as if she'd never seen the messenger. The Sheriff chuckled with amusement, standing and walking around his desk, bending slightly so that he was eye level with her.

"Cute," he commented, the wicked smile never leaving his face as he back handed her across the face. He waited until she recovered from the blow, before whispering in her ear, "But not so cute that I wouldn't put a rope around your lovely, little neck." To his annoyance, she did not seem impressed with his threat.

"Let's take our guest to the war room. We can hang out. Maybe then she'll want to talk to us," he hissed, motioning to the guards as he began walking down the corridor. Morgan allowed herself to be led through the hall, wondering where they were going. She'd never been to the war room before.

The Sheriff turned into a large, circular room, a table with a replica of England on top decorating the center of the room. As per the Sheriff's orders, the table was quickly moved out of the way, revealing a trap door. Morgan frowned as the guards went to work, tying her hands in front of her. The rope, as it turned out, was threaded through an iron hoop near the ceiling. The guards began to turn a crank, and Morgan winced as she was jerked off of the ground, the rope grinding against her wrists as she swayed above the trap door. The Sheriff kicked the door open, revealing a pit.

"It's empty," Morgan observed, trying to ignore the pain in her wrists as she continued to move upwards.

"Yes. Empty," The Sheriff agreed. "We'll have to do something about that." He snapped his fingers, and several men walked in, leading five, very hungry looking dogs. The dogs were promptly lowered into the pit, where they all began to bark up at Morgan. "Do you want to talk to me now? Either that or I lower you into the dog pit. Mind you, they haven't eaten for days."

"Are those the only choices?" Morgan asked. "There isn't a third option, where I get to sit in the dungeons and rue the day that I crossed you?"

"Cute," The Sheriff mused. "I hate cute. Let's see what we can do about that." He pulled a peg from the crank, and Morgan felt her stomach move up to her throat as she plunged towards the dogs. At the last possible moment, the Sheriff stuck the peg back into the crank.

Morgan stifled her cry of pain as she stopped so suddenly that she felt a horrible pulling sensation in her shoulders. She was forced to lift her legs to keep them out of reach of the hounds, who were trying to jump up, their sharp teeth snapping together as they bit at her.

The Sheriff motioned to one of the guards, who quickly turned the crank, pulling Morgan back towards the ceiling.

---

Marian watched as the Sheriff went into the war room, leaving guards outside. Peering inside, she could see Morgan dangling in the air. She was instantly reminded of the day that the Sheriff had captured Robin. Allan had been called away by a less-than-happy Guy, who had instantly started yelling at the man, demanding to know where the child was, and why Allan hadn't found it yet. Sensing that it would take a while, Marian had gone back into the castle, trying to do some reconnaissance.

"Need some help?" Marian almost leapt out of her skin at the suddenness of Robin's voice in her ear, spinning on heel to face him. He, Will, and Little John were dressed as guards, glancing into the war room.

"The Sheriff is trying to get information from Morgan. He suspects that she knows about the child," Marian explained. "Allan is dealing with Guy, and he said that he had sort of half of a plan, but I can't help but think that we'll need more than that."

"This should be easy," Robin said under his breath, surveying the situation. "All we have to do is take care of the guards and sneak out of the castle before anyone notices."

"Easier said than done," Little John commented, nodding to indicate the Sheriff, who was having fun using Morgan as a human yo-yo. Robin frowned. If this kept up, she would dislocate her shoulders.

"We need to get the Sheriff out of that room," Will mumbled.

"That, I think we can manage," Robin replied.

---

The Sheriff laughed with glee as he sent Morgan falling once more, enjoying the mounting fear and frustration in her eyes as he waited longer and longer, allowing her to get closer and closer to the dogs. Suddenly, there was quite a commotion from outside, and he distinctly heard someone shout "My lord! Robin Hood is in the courtyard!"

"Looks like your leader is here to rescue you," he muttered at Morgan, who was currently more concerned with keeping her legs out of the reach of the dogs. The Sheriff decided that it was as good a place as any to leave her to think and stormed out of the room, muttering about everyone else's incompetence. He paused, turning to the guards.

"If she comes out of this room, shoot her," he instructed, heading towards the general commotion. The guard nodded.

---

Robin and Little John made quick work of the guards in the courtyard, and they were quite pleased with themselves when the Sheriff and Gisborne exited that castle. Gisborne drew his sword, inserting himself in the fight, determined to keep the outlaws from reaching the portcullis.

"Coming here was a big mistake, Hood. Gizzy's in a rather foul mood," The Sheriff taunted from the steps. "Seems finding a two year old is too much for him to handle." Guy ignored the fact that the Sheriff was berating him, focusing instead on his efforts to remove Robin's head from the rest of his body.

"Looking to adopt, Sheriff?" Robin asked, stepping out of the way of a particularly vicious looking strike. The Sheriff chuckled.

"Cute," he muttered. "As I was just telling your lovely, little friend, I hate cute. I assume that's why you're here. To rescue the lovely, little blacksmith?"

"Very perceptive of you," Robin returned, further agitating the Sheriff. The older man hadn't even noticed that Allan had slipped away.

---

The guard waited until the Sheriff had rounded the corner before taking off his helmet, unveiling a relieved Will Scarlet. The other guard grinned, taking off her own disguise, revealing a pleased looking Marian. They ducked into the room, where Morgan had already started her escape attempt, swinging her body, trying to set her feet down on the ground beside the pit.

"Morgan," Will smiled, repressing the urge to laugh as Morgan kicked her too-short legs, trying to get a foothold. Morgan turned to face the carpenter, a wide grin on her face.

"Will! How's everything?" she asked as Will grabbed her around the middle, pulling her to safety. He made sure that she could stand on her own before untying her wrists.

"I suppose it's all gone swimmingly so far," Will muttered. "Unfortunately, Robin only had half of a plan, and it didn't cover how we were going to get out." Will and Morgan deferred to Marian, who simply shrugged, checking to make sure that Morgan hadn't dislocated anything in the Sheriff's information gathering effort.

"Not being funny," Allan smiled from the doorway, "but I think I have sort of half of a plan."

---

"Move! Out of the way!" Allan shouted as he and Will carried the stretcher between them. Marian held Morgan's hand, holding a wet rag to her forehead as they rushed along. A guard ran along with them, tapping Allan on the shoulder.

"What's this caper, Allan?" he asked, trying to peek at the very pregnant looking Morgan, his eyes bugging out of his head.

"Renton! Can't you see this woman is pregnant?" Allan asked, sparing the man a subtle wink as they continued to plow through the passageways of the castle. The guards and servers were quick to get out of the way as Morgan wailed in pain, Allan told them to move, and Renton jumped into the ruckus.

"We need to get her to a midwife!" he hollered, "Someone call her husband!" Marian tried not to laugh as Allan discretely smacked Renton in the arm. The guard only grinned before continuing to call out to the various people as they passed.

"I suppose we have Ailith to thank for this sort of half of a plan," Will whispered to Allan, who nodded as they ran out of the town, passing through the castle walls without being questioned.

---

Robin and Little John stalled for as long as they could before dashing out of the castle, waiting in the edge of the woods. To their relief, a small entourage of people soon spilled out of Nottingham. Three of them ducked back inside, while the two that Robin recognized as Will and Morgan pushed forward. Will was pulling Morgan along, and Morgan seemed to be removing something from under her shirt.

"Is that a sack of flour?" Little John asked as they approached.

"Congratulations. It's a boy," Morgan laughed, tossing the sack to Little John, continuing back towards the camp without stopping.

"Luckily enough, Allan's half of a plan picked up where yours left off," Will explained to Robin as they ran. "And Marian's thought of a place to send Ailith."

---

"I don't want her to go," Morgan crossed her arms, aware that she was acting like a petulant child but not caring because it was important, "I was told to 'watch over and protect' her. Therefore, shouldn't I continue my promise?"

"Morgan, it is just not feasible for her to stay here with us," Robin shook his head, understanding the woman's reluctance to release the child, for he too had grown attached to her.

"Yes, and I get that but….but….I don't want her to go," Morgan stated again, not being able to come up with a worthy argument so returning to her original point, "Anyway, why can't you find here somewhere in England? At least then I could've visited her. But no, you had to go and send her _there_."

"Morgan, the Sheriff _and_ Prince John are in search of this little girl. She needs somewhere safe to grow up, and they won't know she's in a completely different country."

"But why do they care about her? We've already found out that King Richard isn't going to marry her mother so therefore she is illegitimate and not entitled to the throne. Why can't they leave her alone?"

"It's not as simple as that," Robin retorted, "Those two don't care whether or not the King is marrying the mother. All they see is a threat, and they will wipe out that threat no matter what. We need to get Quinn to a safe place."

"Don't call her that," Morgan growled, uncharacteristically angry.

"Quinn is her real name. She was christened that, so shouldn't we call her by her true name? Anyway, it doesn't matter what her name is, what matters is that a courier is waiting to meet us on the Great North Road so he can take the babe."

"Hey, guys, the arguing really isn't helping matters," Much hopped in at that moment, "I mean, you're upsetting Ailith."

The former manservant gestured over to the tiny girl that was sat on Will's lap. Her lower lip was trembling as she watched the shouting adults. The carpenter was trying and failing to cheer her up with some wooden figurines, but she just ignored him. She just watched Morgan and Robin with big, upset eyes, a small trickle of tears escaping her eyes.

She didn't like them being angry, she had a feeling it was her fault, and she wanted to make it better, reverse whatever she had done to make them mad. Her 'Mum' looked upset, and the little girl couldn't understand why. Whatever it was, Ailith was sure she could make her happier. Usually she could make a grown-up smile if she gave them her biggest grin and hugged them tight. Ailith wondered whether it would help this time.

Reaching out, the tiny child flexed her fingers towards Morgan and the young woman melted, immediately hurrying over and, after a nod of agreement by Will, gathered the tearful toddler into her slender arms. Ailith then rewarded her with a huge, dazzling smile that made her eyes twinkle and tried to wrap her small chubby arms around Morgan's body – obviously she couldn't envelop the woman completely in a hug, but it still calmed the blacksmith immensely.

Robin came over and joined them, a small, sad smile on his face. They looked so comfortable together; a mother a baby, but it was not to be. Ailith, or Quinn, as they had discovered the name was from King Richard's messenger, needed somewhere safe. To grow up and in the depths of Sherwood Forest with a group of outlaws was not it. It wrenched at his heart to be separating the pair but he knew it was for the best.

"Morgan, we need to go," the outlaw leader spoke softly.

"I know…I know, give me a moment," Morgan waved him off, viciously wiping away a stray tear that had escaped. She wouldn't cry. Not in front of Ailith.

"You know, you can carry her there. Have some more time," Robin suggested and received a nod in reply.

"Ok, then, let's go," Much clapped his hands together and grabbed the bag of things they'd acquired that Ailith might need for her journey. In it were clothes, food and some toys.

The group of outlaws reached the Great North Road, emerging from the darkness of the trees in the forest to the lone man that waited with his horse. The rest of the track was deserted save for this dark cloaked stranger.

"Shouldn't there be more of a guard? I mean, she's in lots of danger and she needs protection," Morgan whispered to Will, puzzled.

"No, this way the messenger is less conspicuous. He won't be questioned and he can travel much faster."

"But how do we know it's the right guy. What if the Sheriff found out and has sent a fake? I'm not giving Ailith to him if we don't know."

"There's a password. Robin will ask him a question and if he answers correctly then we will give him Ailith. If not, we will kill him," Will said simply, "We won't risk the little girls safety. We care for her too."

"All right," Morgan nodded, her worries quenched.

---

Robin approached the figure cautiously, his sword sheathed and ready for him to pull out swiftly should it be needed. He nodded in greeting and then spoke, Morgan could barely pick up the quiet words but she understood from the tone it was a question.

"That horse is a fine mare, what is her name?"

"Ebony." The man replied with ease, and Robin grinned. That was the right answer.

"We have the babe," the outlaw leader stated, gesturing to Ailith.

"I can see that," the man answered, pulling his hood back to reveal a young but scarred face. Robin could tell immediately that this man had been in many battles and that the King's child would be well protected whilst travelling with him. "My name is Conan, pleased to meet you at last Robin of Locksley, it's an honour."

"Really?"

"Yes, we have heard great things of you all over Britain. I hope you continue to fight against the injustices of the world. You are an inspiration to everyone. I am glad to be doing something to help you," Conan spoke with complete sincerity, "But I really must be moving with the child. Can I take her?"

"Yes. Morgan, can you bring Ailith over?"

Morgan heard the end of this exchange, for Robin had raised his voice to call her. She felt her whole body freeze. She didn't want to give Ailith to this man no matter how safe she would be. It seemed wrong after she promised that Saracen woman to look after the girl.

Though, she knew Robin was right, as usual, Ailith need security and protection, so she could grow up in a safe and happy environment. She also knew that no matter how much she had grown to love the toddler and how much she thought the little girl liked her, Ailith was at the age she would grow attached to anyone and would move on quickly. It would just be Morgan that would be left feeling at a loss.

Walking slowly over, Ailith balanced on her hip, Morgan bit her lip hard and fought back tears that were threatening to overflow. She saw the man's face up close for the first time and had to admit he seemed friendly enough, but still she didn't want to give the toddler to him.

"Morgan, are you going to hand him Ailith?" Robin questioned, watching the woman, aware of the inner turmoil raging in her head. He could see the emotion in her eyes as she reluctantly kissed the small child on the head and carefully passed her to Conan.

"I'll take good care of her, you can be sure of that," the young man smiled gently at the obviously saddened woman.

"Make sure you do, or you'll have me to answer to with a sharp sword," Morgan announced before stroking Ailith's soft, dark hair one last time and heading back to the others. She stood beside Will and the young carpenter tenderly placed one arm round her shoulders in an act of brotherly comfort.

Conan turned and placed Ailith in a pouch that had been fashioned to hang off his torso. She wriggled slightly but soon settled in beside the warmth of the man and the steady rhythm of his beating heart. Once he'd done this, the man climbed gracefully onto his horse and waved the outlaws goodbye before cantering off.

Morgan knew that was the last she would ever see of little Ailith. It made her want to be with Allan even more at this moment in time.

---

A messenger hurried into the main room of his master's house and coughed loudly to get the man's attention. The man in question who had been pouring over his desk where several accounts were laid out looked up, startled.

"Count Fredrick, a package has been sent to you.'  
"From whom?" the curly haired man asked, curiously.  
"Robin Hood."

"Well bring it here." The servant clicked his fingers, and in came a cloaked young man with a baby cradled in his arms. "Ah, that was not quite what I expected when I said if he needed help come to Germany." Count Fredrick mused good-naturedly. "Who are you?"

"I am Conan. I was given the task of bringing the child here safely. But if you don't mind, my Count, I must return to England."

"Of course, bring the infant here then," the German ordered.

Conan did as he was told and handed the little toddler over into the hands of her new guardian.

"Look after her. There is a young woman in England that will have your head on a platter if any harm comes to her."

"Ha, ha," Count Fredrick snickered, "And what is the child's name?"

"Why, I believe she is called Ailith."

---

The End! I just want to take the opportunity to say that writing this story was a blast, and it was a privilege to be able to write with someone as talented as Rixxi.

Yay for continuity!

We hope that you've enjoyed this story.

Big thanks to unglittering gold, toad-in-the-hole, Gwenyth Hunter, Stripysockz, PetiteDiable, Liz4, scorpiagirl93, Gewher, Dean Parker, Gilari, The-Little-White-Fox, MissWed, KeepingAmused, Bambyie-Tear, ImaginingThings, ZebraBlonde, BeckyScarlett, GlitteringEtiquette, Kates Master, beastar2, Saffron Marchbanks, and Gwenwhyfar for the reviews!


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